Mars is one of the planets of the Solar System and is the fourth from the Sun. Mars is also known as the red planet because of its reddish color. This color is caused by iron rust (rust). Mars orbits two small moons, Phobos and Deimos. The density of the Martian atmosphere is low and consists mainly of carbon dioxide (CO2). Mars has a lower temperature than Earth because Mars is farther from the Sun than Earth. Mars is much smaller than Earth and its gravity is second only to that of Earth. The north and south poles of Mars have snow, but the earth has no seas, lakes, rivers or water, although scientists say there was probably water there millions of years ago. He is still looking for water under the Martian surface.
Mars's atmosphere
Mars lost its magnetosphere 4 billion years ago, most likely as a result of several collisions with Earth. As a result, the Martian ionosphere has a direct influence on the solar wind, lowering the viscosity of the atmosphere by removing particles from the outer layer. MAVEN is studying ionised atmospheric regions that have been discovered by the Mars Global Survey and Mars Express, and that are flowing into space beyond Mars. With an average pressure of 600 Pa (0.60 kPa) at face position, atmospheric pressure at the face moment varies from 30 Pa (0.030 kPa) on Mount Olympus to more than 1,155 Pa (1.155 kPa) in Hellas Planitia. Mars's highest atmospheric viscosity is equivalent to that found 35 kilometres (or 115,000 feet) above the surface of the Earth.The performing average face pressure is only0.6 of the ground pressure"101.3 kPa".
Mars's climate
Because of the same inclination of their rotation axes, Mars's seasons are the most similar to Earth's of all the member planets in the solar system. Because of Mars' larger distance from the Sun, a Martian year is roughly equivalent to two Earth years, meaning that the planet's seasons are roughly twice as long as Earth's. Mars's surface temperature varies throughout the year, reaching highs of up to 35 °C (95 °F) in tropical summers and lows of about -143 °C (-225 °F) in the polar caps of winter.
The low barometric strain, the low latency of Martian soil, and the delicate environment that is unable to retain a great deal of sun-oriented heat are the reasons for the broad range in temperatures. The planet receives just 43% of Earth's daylight due to its 1.52 times greater distance from the Sun. In the unlikely event that Mars' circle resembled Earth's, the planet's seasons would mirror Earth's because of Earth's circle's hub tilt. The typically enormous caprices in Mars' orbit have a significant impact. When it is summer in the southern equator and winter in the northern hemisphere, Mars is near perihelion; when it is winter in the southern hemisphere and summer in the northern hemisphere, it is near the skyline. As a result, the seasons are more restricted in the southern equator and more mild in the northern equator than they otherwise would be. The south has summertime temperatures that are up to 30°C (54°F) hotter than those in the north.
Some of the strongest dust storms in the solar system occur on Mars, with winds exceeding 160 km/h (100 mph). These can range from little storms affecting a small region to massive storms encompassing the entire Earth.They have been demonstrated to raise world temperatures and often happen when Mars is closest to the Sun.
The rotation and orbit of Mars
The planet Mars is located fourth from the sun. It is the first planet to orbit outside of Earth's orbit, and its average distance from the sun is around 230 million kilometres (143 million miles). The planet completes its orbit in 687 Earth days, and as it rotates through this orbit, a variety of occurrences, including conjunction, take place.
Mars has solar days that are 24 hours, 39 minutes, and 35.2 seconds longer than Earth days. 320 days and 18.2 hours, or 1.8809 Earth years, make up a Martian year.
The hub slant of Mars is 25.19 degrees comparative with the orbital plane, which is like Earth's pivotal slant. Accordingly, Mars has seasons like Earth, albeit almost two times as lengthy on the grounds that its orbital period is longer than Earth's. In our ongoing time, the heading of Mars' north pole is near the Cygnus star.
Its unpredictability, e = 0.093, is generally huge, which shows that its circle is obviously curved, for all intents and purposes at perihelion a ways off of 206 million km from the sun, and when it arrives at apogee, it is 249 million km from the sun.
We see a clear difference in the two dimensions, and this leads to a difference in the amount of sunlight falling on its surface by up to 45% between apogee and perihelion, that is, a difference of 30 degrees, and the subsequent changes in the planet’s climate between the two locations. The temperature on the surface between winter and summer ranges from -144° to 27°, while on average the temperature is estimated at around -23° to -55°.
Out of the seven planets in the solar system, only Mercury has an orbital eccentricity; Mars has a relative orbital eccentricity of around 0.09. It was once believed that Mars' orbit was far more round. 1.35 million years ago, Mars had an orbital eccentricity of about 0.002, significantly less than what Earth has now. Mars has an orbital cycle that is 96,000 Earth years longer than Earth's, which is 100,000 Earth years. Mars has a longer eccentricity period than the 96,000-year cycle seen on orbital eccentricity charts—2.2 million Earth years.
Over the past 35,000 years, Mars' orbit has become slightly more skewed by the gravitational effects of other planets. The closest distance between Earth and Mars will continue to decrease moderately for 25,000 years.
Life on Mars
The current understanding of planetary life is that humans can develop environmental conditions conducive to the emergence of life, preferably planets with liquid water on their surfaces. Most often this requires a planet to orbit in the habitable zone that extends from the Sun just beyond Venus around Mars' semi-major axis. During perigee, Mars is present within this region, but the weak Martian atmosphere (low pressure) prevents liquid water from existing in large areas for long periods. The past flow of liquid water demonstrates the planet's potential for life. Recent evidence suggests that any water on Mars may be too salty and acidic to support normal terrestrial life.
The lack of a magnetosphere and Mars' extremely thin atmosphere present a challenge: the planet has little heat transfer across its surface, poor insulation against solar wind bombardment and insufficient atmospheric pressure to retain water in liquid form (water instead flows into a gaseous state). Mars is dead, or perhaps completely, in geological terms. The end of volcanic activity clearly stopped the recycling of chemicals and minerals between the planet's surface and its interior.
Investigations of the site on Mars have been carried out by the Viking, Spirit and Phoenix landers. Evidence suggests that the planet was once more habitable than it is today, but whether living organisms previously existed is still unknown. In the mid-1970s, Viking Probes conducted experiments designed to detect microorganisms in Martian soil at their respective landing sites, with positive results including a temporary increase in carbon dioxide. This sign of life was later disputed by scientists, leading to an ongoing debate with NASA scientist Gilbert Levin asserting that Viking had found life. A reanalysis of Viking data in light of modern knowledge of anomalous life forms suggests that Viking tests were not sophisticated enough to detect these life forms. Tests can result in “virtual” killing.
Tests conducted by the Phoenix lander showed that the soil had an alkaline pH and that it contained magnesium, sodium, potassium and chloride. Soil nutrients may be able to support life but life must still be protected from intense UV radiation.
In 2014, Phoenix's analysis showed that calcium perchlorate, Ca(ClO4)2, did not react with liquid water in any way, perhaps for a period of up to 600 ms.
Scientists have suggested that carbonate globules found in the Allan Hills 84001 meteorite, which are believed to originate from Mars, could be fossilized microbes found on Mars when meteorites were blasted onto Mars by a meteorite strike about 15 million years ago. This proposal was met with skepticism and an exclusively inorganic origin was proposed for the forms.
Both small amounts of methane and formaldehyde detected by the two Mars orbiters are claimed to be evidence of life because these chemical compounds would quickly break down in the Martian atmosphere. Alternatively these compounds can be regenerated by volcanic or other geological means, such as serpentinite.
Impact glass formed by the impact of meteors and which on Earth can preserve signs of life on the surface of impact craters has been found on Mars. Likewise, glass in impact craters on Mars could preserve signs of life if life existed at the site.
In May 2017, evidence of the oldest known life on Earth may have been found, with 3.48 billion-year-old glacial deposits and other related mineral deposits (often found around hot springs and geysers) discovered in the Pilbara Craton in western Australia. These results may be useful in determining the best place to look for signs of early life on Mars.
In early 2018, media reports speculated that some rock features at a site called Jura looked like some kind of fossil, but project scientists say the formations may have resulted from a geological process at the bottom of the ancient, dried-up lake, and are associated with mineral veins in an area similar to gypsum crystals.
On June 7, 2018, NASA announced that the Curiosity rover had discovered organic compounds in sedimentary rocks dating back three billion years, suggesting that some of the building blocks for life were present.
In July 2018, scientists reported the discovery of a lake beneath the icy region on Mars, the first known stable area of water on the planet. It is centered 1.5 km (0.9 mi) below the surface at the base of the Antarctic ice sheet and is about 20 km (12 mi) wide. The lake was discovered using the Mars Express spacecraft's radar, and files were collected between May 2012 and December 2015. The lake is centered at 193°E, 81°S, and is a flat area that does not show any distinct topographic features. It is surrounded mostly by high ground except on the eastern side, where there is a depression.
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